Andy Burnham speech live: PM warned scrapping pension triple lock would be ‘electoral suicide’ for Labour

Andy Burnham will outline a "very clear path for the country" as he addresses the Labour Party conference on Tuesday for his keynote speech.

The prime minister is expected to lay out a broad plan for his national care service, details on defence spending, and to announce plans to set up a new publicly owned “Great British Grid” in a bid to bring UK energy costs down.

He is also expected to make an announcement over whether he plans to axe the pensions triple lock amid a divide in opinion in his ranks.

Mr Burnham promised “a speech of substance” to delegates, telling LBC: “I will lay out a very clear path for the country tomorrow and it won’t do the usual conference thing, perhaps of just going for the big attack lines on the others and the rabbits out of the hat, I will say things of substance."

On Monday delegates heard from home secretary Shabana Mahmood who announced the reopening of a scheme to resettle refugees in the UK, telling the country it must live up to its “international obligations”.

Chancellor John Healey also addressed the conference, telling them welfare reform is a “moral duty” as he pledged not to “write off a million young people”.

Labour deputy leader refuses to say to say if triple lock could be scrapped

Labour’s deputy leader Lucy Powell has refused to say whether the triple lock could be dropped by the party amid discussions over how Andy Burnham’s social care plans could be funded.

Ms Powell, who is also the education secretary, said the party was committed to the triple lock – the mechanism which decides how much the state pension rises by – and referenced its inclusion in the party’s 2024 manifesto.

However, despite being pressed on it by broadcasters, she would not say whether Mr Burnham and chancellor John Healey are considering ending the policy.

Ms Powell told Sky News: “We are committed to the triple lock. It’s in our manifesto. The triple lock has has really delivered for pensioners, in this country, over the course of this Parliament.

“I think we’re going to see (the) state pension rising by about £2,000-a-year significantly, and that’s really important, so pensioners watching your show today can know that their income is secure and will continue to rise over the course of this Parliament.

“I don’t know what Andy’s going to say about that today, but I know that what he’s talking about is this big conversation about solving these big problems, but being really honest with people that they they come at a cost.

“They do come at a cost. You can’t just solve the social care crisis without having the big conversations about how you’re going to do this.”

Tom Barnes29 September 2026 07:50

PM to set out plans for social care in Labour Party conference speech

Andy Burnham is expected to say he will confront subjects politicians "usually avoid" as he sets out his agenda as Labour prime minister at the party conference in Liverpool this afternoon.

Delivering his inaugural address to the Labour Party conference as leader on Tuesday, the prime minister will use the speech to establish a "clear direction" for the country, promising "less drift and more direction".

But with ministers briefing to The Independent that he is planning a major rethink on Brexit after a decade of “drift and division” and reports that he plans to ditch the triple lock guarantee on minimum state pension rises to help fund his social care reform, Mr Burnham appears to be gearing up to face some of the UK’s most difficult issues.

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Tom Barnes29 September 2026 07:35

Burnham edges Labour closer to rejoining EU

Andy Burnham is expected to edge Labour closer to rejoining the EU during his first address to Labour Party conference as prime minister.

Ministers have told The Independent that it is now a question of how much he emphasises the UK’s return to Europe, rather than if.

There is growing optimism that a way back into the EU could be put to voters at the next election after the prime minister and senior ministers made it clear they believe Brexit has been a failure at this year's party conference.

One senior minister told The Independent that “the mood has completely changed on this subject.”They added: “There is a lot of momentum around rejoining again.

The economic data is there and we are feeling more relaxed about talking about Brexit as being a failure.”

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Burnham edges Labour closer to rejoining EU

Exclusive: After Ed Miliband told the Labour conference in Liverpool that Britain’s future is at the heart of Europe, ministers say it is ‘not if but how’ the prime minister puts rejoin in the next election manifesto

Tom Barnes29 September 2026 07:31

What is happening at Labour conference on Tuesday?

Labour conference continues on Tuesday, when the leader of the party - and the country - will take to the stage.

Andy Burnham will set out his vision for the country in his keynote speech, in which he is expected to address his national care service plans, defence, and how he intends to tackle rising energy costs.

He has pledged to hold an “honest conversation” about tough issues, criticising the centralisation of power in the hands of “vested interests” and promising a break from the “flawed thinking of the last 40 years”.

He will say: “We can’t carry on as we are. Politics-as-usual has taken Britain backwards. More of the same isn’t good enough and isn’t going to get us where we need to be.”

Tom Barnes29 September 2026 07:30

What happened at Labour conference yesterday?

The Labour Party conference heard from two of the country's top politicians on Monday as they delivered speeches on their key policies on two of the country's thorniest issues - the economy and immigration.

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the reopening of a scheme to resettle refugees in the UK, telling the country it must live up to its “international obligations”.

She said most refugees admitted under the new UK resettlement scheme will be referred through the UN refugee agency UNHCR, with Palestinians coming through the International Refugee Assistance Project (Irap).

They will then be put on a five-year path to permanent settlement.“I know the British people have not given up on their belief that we should be compassionate, live up to our international obligations, and save the lives of those fleeing war and persecution," she said.

Chancellor John Healey also addressed welfare reform as he focused on the Neet crisis.Neets are young people not in employment, education, or training.

There are around one million Neets in the country at the moment.Mr Healey said he would “help this generation move from generation jeopardy to generation hope”.